LEGAZPI CITY — A top police official in Catanduanes said they are preparing to file charges against the two Taiwanese nationals suspected to be the operators of the clandestine shabu laboratory that was raided by the police in Barangay Palta Small in Virac, Catanduanes more than a week ago.

Jayson Uy

“A case of violation of section 8 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165), that penalizes the manufacture of dangerous drug/and or controlled precursors and essential chemicals, will be filed against Taiwanese nationals Jayson Gonzales Uy and Pascual Uy before the Provincial Prosecutors Office in Catanduanes,” Senior Supt. Jeofrey Fernandez, acting director of the Catanduanes Provincial Police Office (PPO), said in his report to Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO5) Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe.

Fernandez said six plastic containers found with a white crystalline substance inside the shabu facility disguised as a warehouse had tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride or "shabu".

He said one rectangular plastic container with 792 grams of the substance had tested positive for shabu while five round containers had 360 kilograms of ephedrine, that could be deemed “as almost finished products of shabu.”

Police report said in March this year, the two suspects leased the warehouse from Angelica Balmadrid.

The suspects, however, eluded arresting anti-narcotics lawmen on Nov. 26 when the raid was conducted. Jayson Uy’s abandoned getaway vehicle was later recovered by the police in Caramoran, Catanduanes. The two suspects are now the subject of police manhunt operations.

Police said equipment found in the facility showed it could produce 9.6 tons of shabu per month. Authorities said the facility is probably the biggest among similar facilities they have raided since July, the start of the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign.

Sr. Insp. Ma. Luisa Calubaquib, PRO5 spokesperson, said the case will be submitted for regular filing this week at the prosecutors’ office.

Calubaquib added the recovered copy of the CCTV cameras and a blue book found with Chinese characters with corresponding amounts have already been submitted for forensic examination to the forensic and cybercrime divisions in Camp Crame.

She said they are optimistic the results from the two divisions would be very useful as strong evidence against the suspects. (PNA)